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A
Brief History...
Wheras Vampirism is believed to be a disease and is in
fact not, lycanthropy is believed to be supernatural, when in fact it
is a disease (albeit not in a literal sense). No one knows
the exact cause of lycanthropy but they sure have it's effects well documented.
It seems the disease is linked to the lunar cycle and causes the sufferer to
transform into a slavering beast which feeds on human flesh and is impervious to
harm. The disease can also be passed on to other mortals through a bite, much
like rabies (the symptoms of which are sometimes confused with lycanthropy). As
far a cure, no one really knows of one - although scientist are working on it,
but one thing is for sure - lycanthropy has been around a long time and looks
set to stay for the near future...
The New Breed
Traditional Werecreatures are not necessarily evil, in
fact most fight to defend nature and all that is good, but they have been given
a bad rep (and more publicity) since 1863, when rumours of wolfmen attacking
people and stock spread like wildfire throughout the Americas. The blame lies
with the "new breed" of Were-creatures created by the Reckoning to spread fear
and chaos, these are normal people who change into Werewolves at full moon but
have no control over their actions - they become an abomination, a servant of
the Reckoners - they do not suffer from lycanthropy, their curse is a
supernatural thing. The New Breed and "True" werewolves do not get along very
well, confrontations are savage and bloody, and are becoming more frequent.
Common Rules
All lycanthropes have the following characteristics;
- A lycanthrope may be of any carnivorous animal,
not just a wolf - were-bears, were-lions, were-eagles, and even
were-alligators all are considered as lycanthropes, although lycanthropes
tend to take on the form of nocturnal predators
- Transformation A - lycanthrope may change into
Were-beast form whenever he wishes (taking 1d4 turns to complete) so long as
he passes a Spirit(5) check to stay in control of the Beast within -
if he fails the check the Marshal takes control of the character and has him
run amok as if he were a wild beast, if the character succesfully stays in
control then he may then choose to transform further into Full Beast form -
taking an extra full turn. A Were-Beast is half human, half beast (like a
wolf man), a Full-Beast is fully transformed into the animal (like a wolf)
and simply looks like a slightly larger version of the creature
- Full Moon - At this time of the month a
lycanthrope must change into Were-beast form and his Spirit
test TN becomes 9 as the beast tries to emerge, this transformation lasts
the whole night
- Losing Control - The lycanthrope remembers nothing
if the beast takes over, the Marshal plays the character and tries to find
it fresh meat to eat, the Werewolf will not necessarily eat it's fellow
posse members unless it is really hungry, rather it will eat their horses
instead. An out of control were beast will not turn into full beast form.
- Were-Beast - When in this form the character's
corporeal stats change, his Strength and Quickness Traits jump
up by 2 steps (die types) and his Overawe co-ordination is doubled,
Deftness, however, will drop by 2 steps as the creature has trouble
using equipment. mental traits remain unchanged if the character is in
control of the beast. Another bonus is the 6 inch claws the were-beast
posseses, inflicting d8 extra damage in combat. A Were-beast's size
increases by 1 also as they tend to get a bit bigger.
- Full Beast - The lycanthrope's mental traits
become unchanged but his corporeal traits change as desired by the Marshal,
usually (for wolves at least) pace increases, Deftness drops to 1d4,
weapon use becomes impossible, the Trackin' aptitude increases
amongst other things. The main advantage is that the lycanthrope can pass
itself off as a normal creature.
- Toughness - Were-beast's take half wind damage in
combat, and on top of this a Were-Creature is resistant to wounding, it's
size increases by 1 when in were form but the character may halve all damage
rolls made against him in combat (as if his size were doubled), magical
attacks, however, do normal damage, but bullets/spears/explosions e.t.c do
reduced damage (i.e if a bullet does 21 damage to a Were-creature's leg it
causes 1 wound, not 3 - it's size is treated as 14, not 7, if the damage
were magical it would cause 3 full wounds. This size increase is not in
effect when in Human or Full beast form
- Silver - Lycanthropes have a vulnerability -
silver, the Moon Metal. If harmed by a silver bullet (or other silver coated
weapon) the lycanthrope suffer full damage as if it were a magical attack
plus an extra dice damage on top of this, also his wound will smoke
slightly, this extra damage occurs even in human form. Silver also causes
full wind damage...
- Bloodlust - Werecreatures need (or believe they
need) fresh meat to survive, be it of animal or human origin, in effect they
all suffer from the Hankerin':Raw meat hindrance, they like to eat
about a pound of raw meat a day, either in human or animal form.
- Human Form - Apart from the flesh hankerin' and
the siver sensitivity a lycanthrope in human form is no different to most
normal humans, he may develop a bit more hair and sleeps with his tongue
hanging out but otherwise is totally normal.
- Lycanthrope Powers - Most Were-Creatures have
special powers of some kind, whether it be a natural advanced healing
ability or the power to tap into unatural raw strength their abilities are
what set them aside from the viscious killing machines that are the New
Breed!
The Disease
Lycanthropes carry their disease around in their saliva
but it is only active during a full moon, this means that anybody they bite that
night has a chance of catching it. If a target is bitten by a Were-Creature and
takes a wound they must make a Hard(9)Spirit check or they will catch the
disease, probably not realising it until the next full moon!
The Cure
There is one surefire way to cure lycanthropy - death! If
a lycanthrope becomes Harrowed it no longer suffers from the disease, although
it still does carry it. One other possible cure is a Belladona cocktail, made
from deadly nightshade. If the plant is found then a concoction may be created
on a Hard (9) Occult check, then the lycanthrope must drink it the day
before the next full moon and takes a Hard(9)Vigor check due to the
poisonous qualities of the potion. Passing loses him 3d6 wind, failing loses 6d6
wind, going bust loses him 9d6 wind. If wind falls to 0 in this way then the
cocktail was too much for him and he dies in agony, if he survives the poison
then he must then pass a Fair(5)Spirit check to be cured, if he fails
then he must try again at the next full moon....bad luck
THE BEAST OF GEVAUDAN
HOT LINKS
Books in relation to Werewolves, Click on the titles to see more:
Werewolves by Martin H. Greenberg - 5 star review
The Blooding- 4 star review
Dances With Werewolves
Book of Werewolves- 5 star review
The Passion- 5 star review
Children Of The Wolf
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